Sewing-machine.



F. ASHWORTH.

SEWINGMACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY23, 1912.

1,169,1Q Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

F. ASHWORTH.

,SEWING MACHINE.

I APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 1912- V 1,1Q,91, Patented Feb.1,1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W I i F. ASHWORTH.

SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION men MAY23.1912.

1 1 69,9 Q Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

J i 4 [Fun J WHTED SidfATE PATENT @FFMJEW FRED ASHWORTH, OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNO R TO NITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF IPATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A OORPORA ON OF NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

SEWING-MACHIN E.

Patented Feb. 1, 191a.

Original application filed October 3, 1910. Serial No, 585,116. Divided and this application filed May 23, 1912. Serial No. 699,138.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRED AsirwonTH, a Y

citizen of the United States, residing at Beverly, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to' be a full, clear, and exact description of the'invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same. The present invention relates to wax thread sewing machines, and more particularly to lock stitch outsole shoe'sewing machines which employ a curved awl and a curved hook needle.

One object of the invention is to produce an improved presser foot mechanism in whlch-the presser foot is operated to clamp the work on the work support and to release the work and permit the same to be fed in a more reliable and satisfactory manner than in machines heretofore constructed.

With the above object in View one feature of the invention contemplates the provision in a shoe sewingmachine of the class referred to having stitch forming dev1ces, a work support and a presser foot, of yielding means acting to bring the presser foot into engagement with the work and at the same time permit it to accommodate itselfto different thicknesses of the work. and mechanism for raising the presser foot from the work during each cycle of operations and for thereafter depressing the presser foot a predetermined uniform distance from the position it assumes under the action of the yielding means to securely clamp the work on the Work support. a

A further object of the invention is to produce-a machine of the'clas's referred to in which upon the reversal of the direction.

of rotation of the driving shaft atthe completionof the sewing the tension on the thread is released and the 'presser foot is raised from the Work simultaneously.

' lVith this-object in view a feature of the invention contemplates the provision in amachine of the class referred-to having a work support, a presser foot and a thread tension device of means actuated by the reversal in the direction of the rotation of the driving shaft of the machine to release the tension on the thread and raisethe presser foot from the work.

Certain other features of the inv ntion relate to improved constructions an arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed, the advantages of which vill beset forth in the following description.

Inthe drawingsillustrating the inventio in the best form at present known to the inventor, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a lock stitch sewing machine elm releasing the tension on the thread and rais ing the presser foot when the direction of rotation of the driving shaft is reversed; Fig. 7 is a view in side elevation of the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 6 and also of the thread tension lock and pull-01f.

The machine illustrated in the drawings comprises a curved hook needle 1, a curved awl 2, a thread arm 3, a looper l, a rotating loop taker 5, a loop spreader 6, a pullol'i' 7, a main take-Yup 8, an auxiliary takeup, a thread measurer and two thread locks for kicking the thread between the pull-ofi' and the work and between the pull-ofi' and supply respectivelygall of which parts are constructed and arranged in the same manner and are operated by the same mechanism as illustrated and described in applicants pending. application, Serial' No. 585,116, filed October 3, 1910, of which the present application is a division. For a full and complete description of the parts of the machine not fully described herein,'ref erence maybe had to said application.

The work is supported in the machine by means of a work support 10 and presser foot 11. The work support is of the usual construction, being secured to a stationary part of the machine frame and being shaped to enter the crease between the upper and the welt of a shoe so that the shoe, during the work support is provided with the usual shafts 20 of the machine.

slot through which the needle and awl operate.

The presser foot is of usual construction and is secured to the lower end of a presser foot lever 12. During the greater part of .the cycle of operations of the machine, the

presser foot is held firmly locked against the work so that the work is tightly clamped between the presser foot and work support. During the feeding of the work, however, the presser foot is raised from the work so as to offer no resistance to the feeding movement. At the end of-the feeding movement the presser foot is released and is pressed yieldingly against the wbrk so that it has an opportunity to accommodate itself .to the thickness of the stock. After being pressed yieldingly against the work the presser foot is positively moved toward the work support a predetermined distance so as to firmly clamp the stock and is then looked in position. The presser foot remains locked until the beginning of the feeding operations, when it is again lifted and thecycle of operations repeated. To enable the presser foot to beactuated as above described, the presser foot lever 12 is; p;iv'-otal.ly mounted on the frame of the ma'cn ine and is provided with a downwardly, eXtending arm 13 which is connected by means of a link 14.- to a lever 15. The lever 15 is p'ivotally connected below the link 14 to the forward end: of a link 16, and is pivotally connected abdve the link 14 to the forward end of a rod 17; The upper end'of the lever 15 above the rod 17 is connected by means of a link 18 to the lower end of a lever 19 which" is actuated by a suitably shaped cam on one of the driving A spring 21 is connected at its forward end to the rear end of the link 16 and at its rear end to a pin projecting from a rod 22, the arrangement of the spring being such that it tends to pull the link 16 and the-lower end of the lever 15' rearwardly. The rod 22'is held in' the frame of the machine by means of a split clamp 23 which allows for an a'ngularadjustment of the rod to adjust the tension of the spring. The rod 17 is mounted to slide in a s'tationarytblock-M secured to the frame of the machine and is locked against endwise movement and unlocked during each cycle of operations of the machine by mechanisnr hereinafter described. The unlocking of the rod 17 occurs'at the end of the feeding movement while the p'resser foot 12 is. in its raised position. When the rod 17 is unlocked, the spring 21'acting through the link 16 pulls the lower end of thejlever 15 to the rear, thereby swinging the lever about its pivotal connection with the link 18. This movement of the lever 15 pulls the presser foot yieldingly down against the work'and moves the rod 17 rearwardly through the the nut against rotation.

block 24. After the presser foot has .been

' yieldingly forced into engagement with the work, the lever, 19 is actuatedto move the upper end of the lever 15 forwardly, and during this movement the .rod 17 is locked. During this forward movement of the upper end of the lever 15, after the rod 17 is locked,

the lever swings about its pivotal connection with the forward end of the rod 17 and thus forces the presser foot positively an additional predetermined distance toward the work support to firmly and positively clamp the work. The presser foot is held' locked in this position by the cam actuated lever 19 and by the locking device for the rod 17 until the beginning of the work feeding a The locking device for the rod 17 com-' prises a nut 25 engaging a steep screw thread upon the rod 17 and a locking lever 26 arranged to lock the nut against rotation and to unlock the nut so as to permit it to rotate on the rod. The nut 25' is seated in a recess in the block 21, as best shownfin Fig. 4, and

is held against longitudinal movement with the rod 17. The lever 26 is provided with an shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and the edges of this perforation are arranged to engage teeth upon the periphery of the nut so as to lock The lever 26 is pivoted upon studs 27 mounted in the block 21, theaxis of which extends-at right angles to, and passes through the axis of the rod 17 and nut 25. The construction and arrangement of the lever 26 are such. that when the upper end of the lever is moved to the left, as viewed in Figs. 2 and 4, the nut 25 is unlocked, and when the upper end 'of the lever is moved to the right, the nut is locked. When the nut 25 is unlocked it is free to rotate and permits a rearward move- .1-0( aperture which surrounds the nut 25, as

ment of the rod- 17 under the influence of the spring 21. When the nut is locked, however, it prevents any longitudinal -movement of the rod 17 and thus permits the presser foot to be actuated by the cam actuated lever 19, as is he reinbefore described. To cause the nut 25 to. be locked and unlocked at the proper times during the operation of the machine, the upper end of the lever 26 is connected by means'of a link'28 to an arm 29 projecting from a sleeve 30 mounted" upon a rod 31 at the rear of the machine. An arm 32 projects rearwardlyfrom the sleeve 30 and is acted upon by a springpressed rod 33, the tendency of which is to raise'the arm 32 and through the lever 29 and link 28 move the upper end of the lever 26 to the rear, thereby locking the nut 25 against rotation. To move the upper end of the lever 26 in the opposite direction to unlock the nut 25, a cam actuated lever 31 is mounted upon the rod 31 and is provided with a projection 35 carrying a screw 36 arranged to engage the upper surface of the arm 32 and depress the arm against the action of the spring-pressed rod 33.

7 To enable the presser foot to be moved by "the operator with the parts of the machine in any position which they assume during a cycle of operations, and particularly when the parts are in a position to per-.

mitthe removal or insertion of work, a hand lever is provided and suitable connections whereby a movement of the lever will unlock and raise the presser foot. This lever is indicated at 37 and is pivotally mounted at 38 upon the presser foot lever 12. Below the pivotal connection 38, the lever 37 is provided with a projection 39 to which is pivotally secured the forwardend of a link 40. The rear end of this link is provided with a slot through which passes the pin 41 forming the pivotal connection of the lever 26 with the link 28. The lever 37 is thus connected to the locking lever 26 through the-link 46 so that a backward movement of the upper end of the lever 37 moves the lever 26 in a direction to unlock the nut 25. The lever 37 has a limited movement independent of the presser foot lever 12 sufficient to unlock the nut 25.

To enable the lever 37 to raise the presser foot lever 12 during its continued movement. it isprovided at its lower end with a contact screw 42 which engages the arm 13 of the presser foot lever and raises the presser foot.

The lever 37 is returned to its original position with relation to the presser foot lever when released by the operatorby a spring 43 interposed between the arm Bend the lower ,endof the lever 37. The return-movement of the lever 37 under. the force of the spring 43 is limited by a contact screw 4-1, which engages the upper surface of the lever 12.

The pivotal connection of the link l0with the projection 39 of the lever 37 is so located that during the independent movement of the lever to unlock the nut 25 the pivotal connection is\ brought into a position con-.

. centric with the pivot of the presser foot lever so that the continued movement of the lever 37 n raising the presser foot does not produce any further movement of the looking lever 26. To regulate the movement of the link 40, an adjustable contact screw 45 is mounted in'the rear end of the link 40. A contact screw 46 is also providedfor the lower enld -of the lever 26 to limit its movement under thelaction of the hand operated lever 37 and to insure its movement into a position to unlock the nut 25. The slot in the rear end of the link 40 permits the lever 26 to be actuated automatically during the sewing operation to unlock the nut 25 without producing any movement of the hand operated lever 37.

The tension device consists of two intermeshing gear wheels 17 and 48. These wheels are mounted on a bracket 19, forming a part of the machine frame. the gear 47 being journaled loosely on a supporting stud 50, and the gear 48 being rigidly secured to the short horizontal shaft 51. The thread leads upwardly from the waxpot, over the gear 18, then 'downwvardly between the two gears, and then upwardly" around the gear 47.

To enable the gears to be adji sted for 'operation on different sizes of tln ad, the

shaft 51 carrying the gear 4:8 is jorrnaled in a block 52, which is mounted to s de to the teeth of the gears 47 and 48. The thread is thus firmly held by the gears and can only be drawn from the supply by rotating the' gears. The friction device for retarding the rotation of the gear 48 comprises a disk 56,

secured to or integral with the shaft51, an abutment 57 on the block 52 at one side of the disk 56, and a brake shoe or disk 58 at the other side of the disk. Washers are interposed between the disk 56 and the abutment 57 on one side and the brake shoe 58 on the other side. The free end .of a short lever 59 pivoted 011 the bracket 49 bears against the brake shoe 58 and this lever 59 is engaged by one arm of a bell crank lever 60 pivoted concentrically Withthe lever 59. The other arm of the bell. crank 60 is acted upon by a coiled spring 61 interposed betweenthe bracket 49 and the cap 62 at-the inner end of an adjustable screw 63 seated in the arm of the bell crank,'the tentlency of the spring being" to swing the bell crank in a direction to force the lever 59 against the brake shoe'58 and the brake shoe against the disk 56. By means of the adjustable screw 63 the pressure of the brake shoe 5 against the disk Suitable friction 56, and consequently the tension on the of the-machine after the machine has been stopped. These means comprise a swing ing arm 64 pivotally mounted at its rear end upon the upper end of the bell 0 ant: lever 65 and provided at its forward end with two curved surfaces 66 and 67 located at different distances from the pivot of the arm and arranged to bear against a sleeve 68 on the driving shaft 20. Between the surfaces 66 and 67 is a pro ection 70, which upon a reversal in the direction of rotation of the shaft 69, is arranged to be engaged by a notch 71 in the sleeve A reversal in the direction of rotation of the driving shaft 20 swings the arm 64 on its pivot, and a continued rotation of a shaft moves the arm 64 longitudinally and swings the bell cranklever 65. spring 73 connected to the arm 65 and bearing upon a pin projecting from the arm 6% tends to hold the arm in its raised position. To the horizontal arm of the bell crank 65 is pivotally connected-the upper end of a cord 74, which cord passes through a flexible sleeve 75 secured at its opposite ends to the frame of the machine. At its lower end the cord 74 is connected tothe bell crank GO of the thread tension niechanism so that as the bell c 'ank 65 is moved when the direction of rotation of the shaft 20 is reversed,.the cord 71 is pulled upon to move the bell crank against the tension of the spring 61 and releases the fric tion which retards the rotation of the tension gear 48. To cause the presser foot to be raised simultaneously with the release of the tension on the thread, the pivot pin 76 which connects the bell crank with the arm 64, is arranged to engage a set screw mounted in an arm 77 projecting upwardly from a rock shaft 78. This rock shaft is provided with another upwardly projecting arm 79 which is connectedby means of a link 80 to the presser foot lifting lever 37. A backward movement of the'arm 64 produced by a reversal in the direction of rota tion of the shaft 20, therefore, rocks the shaft 78 and raises the presser foot simultaneously with the release of the thread tension.

The present application is a division of my application for Letters Patent of the lnited States, filed October 3, 1910, Serial No. 585,116.

'Vihile the'inventlon has been illustrated and described as embodied in a lock stitch outsole. sewing machine provided With a curved hook needle and a curved aWl, it is to be understood that except as hereinafter defined in the claims, the invention is not limited to any particular machine or type of machine, or to any particular construction or arrangement of parts.

Having explained the nature and object of the invention, and having described a. machine embodying the same in its preferred form, what is claimed is 1. A sewing machine, having, in combination, stitch forming devices, a work support,

a presser foot, means for yieldingly pressing the foot against the Work to permit it to accommodate itself to different thickness of .work, and mechanism for raising the presser foot from the work during each cycle of operations of the machine and for depressing the presser foot a predetermined uniform distance from'the position it as sumes under the action of said yielding means regardless of the thickness of the work and for holding it in depressed posie tion during the tightening of the stitch.

2. A sewing machine, having, in combination, stitch forming devices, a work sup- 9 port, a, presser foot, mechanism for .actuating the presser foot comprising a pivoted lever, mans for actuating said lever during each cycle of operations of the machine to raise and lower the presser foot. a movable fulcrum for the lever. means for locking and unlocking said fulcrum during each cycle of operations ofthe machine. and a spring acting on the lever to move the presser foot into engagement with the work when the fulcrum is unlocked.

3. A sewing machine, having. in combination, stitch forming devices. a work support.

a presser foot, mechanism for actuating thepresser foot comprising a pivotally mounted lever, a cam and suitable connections for oscillating the lever in opposite directions to raise and lower the presser foot, :1 spring acting on the lever to yieldingly force the presser foot into engagement with the work, 3110 a movable fulcrum for the lever, and means for locking and unlocking the fulcrum arranged to lock the fulcrum after the lever has completed a portion of its cam actuated movement in a direction to lower the presser foot.

4:. A sewing machine. having, in combination, stitch forming devices, a work support, a presser foot, mechanism for actuating the presser foot comprising a lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends, a movable fulcrum for the lever. cam actuatd mechanism engaging one end of the lever vfor oscillatin the lever to raise and lower the presser foo-t, connections between the other end of the lever and the presser foot,

'a spring acting on the lever to move the lever and its fulcrum in a direction to press the presser foot yieldingly against the work, and means for locking and unlocking the fulcrum during each cycle of operations of the machine.

5. A sewing machine, having, in combination, stitch forming devices, a work support, a presser foot, mechanism for actuating the presser foot comprising a pii'otally mounted lever, cam actuated mechanism and a spring connected to the lever, a movable fulcrum for the lever, and means for locking and unlocking the fulcrum during each cycle of operations of the machine to permit the cam actuated mechanism to swing the lever about its fulcrum while the fulcrum is locked to raise and lower the presser foot, and permit the spring to move the lever with its fulcrum while the fulcrum is unlocked to press the presser foot yieldingly against the work.

- 6. A sewing machine, having, in combination, stitch forming devices, a work support, a. presser foot, mechanism for actuating the presser foot comprising a pivotally mounted lever, a movable fulcrum for the lever, cam actuated mechanism and a spring connected to the lever, and means for locking and unlocking said fulcrum during each cycle of operations of the machine to cause the D esser foot to be yieldingly pressed against the work by said spring and to be depressed a predetermined uniform distance by said cam actuated mechanism after being yieldingly pressed against the work and to be raised from the work.

7. A sewing machine, having, in combination, stitch forming devices, a work support, a presser foot, mechanism for actuating the presser foot comprising a pivotally mounted lever, a movable fulcrum for the lever, cam actuated mechanism for swinging the lever about its fulcrum to raise and lower the presser foot, a spring acting to move the lever'and its fulcrum to press the presser foot yieldingly against the work, means for locking and unlocking said fulcrum during each cycle of operations of the machine, and means under the control of the operator for I unlocking the fulcrum and raising the presser foot.

8. A- sewing machine, having, in combination, stitch forming devices, a work support,

a presser foot, mechanism for actuating the presser foot comprising a pivoted lever, a

movable fulcrum for the lever provided with a steep pitch screw, cam actuated mechanism for oscillating the lever on its fulcrum to-raise and lower the presser foot, a spring acting on'the lever to move the lever and its fulcrum to press the presser foot'yieldingly against the work, a nut having a screwthreaded engagement with said screw and held against longitudinal movement therewith, and means for locking the nut against rotation and for unlocking the nut during each cycle of operations of the machine.

9. A sewingmachine, havlng, 1n combination, stitch forming devices, a work support, a presser foot, a thread tension device, and means actuated by a reversal in the direction of rotation of the driving shaft of the machine to release the tension on the thread and raise the presser foot from the 7 work.

10. A sewing machine, having. in combination, stitch forming devices, a work sup port, apresser foot, means for forcing the presser foot against the work and for lock- 7 ing it in position, a thread tension device, and' means actuated by a reversal in the direction of rotation of the driving shaft of the machine for releasing the tension on the thread and for unlocking and raising the T presser foot.

11. A sewing machine, having, in combination, stitch forming devices, a.work support, a presser foot, a thread tension device, main shaft, and means operated from the main shaft for simultaneously releasing the tension on the thread and raising the presser foot to permit the removal and insertion of work.

port, a presser, foot, yielding means for bringing the presser foot into engagement with the work, mechanism for raising the presser foot from the work during each cycle of operations of the machine and for depressing the presser foot from its initial' work engaging position regardless of the thickness of the work and for locking it in depressed position during the tightening of the stitch.

14. A sewing machine, having, in combination, stitch forming devices, a work support, a presser foot, yielding means acting at the'end of the feed movement of the work for bringing the presser foot initially into engagement with the work, positively acting means for depressing the presser foot a predetermined distance from its initial work engaging position regardless of the thickness of the Work and for locking the presser foot in depressed position during the tightening of the stitch, said last means acting to raise the presser foot at the beginning of the feed movement of the work, and to re lease the presser foot and permit it to be forced into engagement with the work by said yielding means at the end of the feed movement.

15. A sewing machine, having, in com- 30 bination, stitch forming devices, a work support, a presser foot, means for forcing the presser foot against the work, a thread ten sion device and means actuated'by the re versal in the direction of rotation of the driving shaft of the machine for releasing the tension on the thread and raising the presser foot comprising an oscillatory arm having two curved surfaces at different distances from its axis of oscillation and a projection between said surfaces, a member carried by the shaft and arranged to be engaged by either of the curved surfaces of saill member and having a notch for engagement with the projection between said surfaces, and operative connections between said arm and the presser foot and between saidarm and the tension device.

16. A sewing machine, having, in combination, stitch forming devices, a work support, a presser foot, means for: lifting the presser foot during each cycle of operation, and mechanism inoperative during the normal operation of the machine for lifting the presser foot comprising an oscillatory arm having two curved surfaces arranged at different distances from its center of oscillation and a projection between said surfaces, a

member carried by the shaft and arranged work comprising a pivoted lever, a movable fulcrum for the lever, means for locking said fulcrum during the stitch forming operation to lock the presser foot in engagement with the work, and means under the control of the operator for unlocking the said fulcrum and raising the presser foot at any point in a cycle of operations.

18. A sewing machine, having, in combination, stitchformingdevices, a work support, a presser foot, mechanism for locking the presser foot in engagement with the work during the stitch forming operation comprising a pivotally mounted lever, a movable fulcrum for the lever, a locking lever for said fulcrum, means to operate said locking lever to lock said fulcrum during and means under the control of the operator to unlock the presser foot and raise it from the work at any point in the stitch forming operation comprising a natipivotally mounted on the presser foot lever and conpections between said lever and the locking ever.

19. A sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices, a work support, .a presser foot, means for yieldingly pressing the presser foot against the work," mecha- 'nism for raising the presser foot from the work during each cycle of operations of the machine and for depressing the presser foot from its initial work engaging position and looking it in depressed position, and means actuated by a reversal in the direction of rotation of the driving shaft of the machine for raising the presser foot comprising an:

oscillatory arm having two curved surfaces at dlflerent distances from ts-axis of osclllationand a projection between said surfaces, a member carried bythe shaft and arranged to be engaged by either of the curved surfaces of said arm and having a-nntch for engagement with the projection lietween said surfaces, and operative connections between said arm and the presser foot.

20. A sewing machine, having, in com- I bination, stitch forming devices including a needle, a presser foot, a thread tension device, a main'driving shaft and connections between the driving shaft and the presser foot and between the drivin shaft and the tension device, inoperative uring thenormal operation and acting, when actuated bythe driving shaft, to raise the presser foot and relieve the thread tension While the needle is outiof the work.

21. A sewing'machine having, in' combination, stitch forming devices including aneedle, a presser foot, a thread tension device, a driving shaft, connections between FRED ASHWORTH.

W itnesses':

ALFRED B. F-ow nnn, HARRY L. Hoom' Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. 0.

Corrections in Letters Patent No. 1,169,919.

l r I i I It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,169,910, granted February 1, 1916, upon the application of Fred Ashworth, of Beverly, Massachusetts, for

an improvement in Sewing-Machines, errors appear in the printed specificaftion requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 24, for the-Word operations read movements; page 4, line 79, claim 1, for the Word thickness read thicknesses;

and that the said Letters Patent ehould be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 29th day of February, A. Di, 1916.

[SEAL] R. F; WH ITEHEAD,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. Cl. 112-20. 

